It has long been common to collect and preserve identifying information on virtually everything of value for insurance purposes in the event of theft or natural disaster. Curiously, however, identifying information about our most valuable assets, namely our loved ones, is seldom collected and preserved for use in the event a family member is abducted or otherwise becomes missing. This is indeed unfortunate since such information, if available, can be the critical link to evidence that could help identify, locate and possibly save the life of a missing loved one. Hair sample comparison and DNA print matching, for example, might be used by forensic pathologists to identify an unknown hair, blood, or tissue sample as that of a missing person, thereby generating a lead to locating such person. Furthermore, the simple recording of data such as a recent photograph, hair color, eye color, identifying marks, etc. can be invaluable in locating a missing child, for example, since such information can be quickly and widely disseminated among the public.
Tragically, some missing persons are victimized and killed by their abductors who often leave their victim's body in an isolated or inaccessible location. When such bodies are eventually found, they are often so deteriorated that identification through traditional means is impossible. In these instances, techniques such as DNA print matching can still provide a positive identification since every cell in an individual's body, even the cells of deteriorated remains, contains DNA cells having gene patterns that are unique to that individual alone. Sadly, however, DNA analysis is seldom fruitful in this regard because cell bearing specimens from only a minute fraction of missing persons are available for comparison to those of unidentified remains. As a consequence, many remains are never identified and, in fact, government agencies estimate that as many as 2000 unidentified bodies are buried each year in the U.S. alone. In the mean time, the families of these unidentified people will continue to grieve, not knowing whether their loved one is alive or dead.
A continuing and heretofore unaddressed need exists, therefore, for a system of collecting and preserving vital identifying information about and cell bearing specimens from family members and loved ones for use in the event a loved one becomes missing. Such a system should be complete, convenient, easy to use in the home without medical supervision and should be adapted to preserve cell bearing specimens such as blood for long periods without significant deterioration of the specimens. It is to the provision of such a system that the present invention is primarily directed.